Some coaches wonder whether there's any point to blogging or if it's worth their time. Their bottom line question: Am I going to get more clients? And the real bottom line question: Am I going to make more money?
I spoke to some accomplished coach bloggers to get their answers:
Blogging shows prospective clients whether they can relate to you
Glain Roberts-McCabe is the Founder and President of The Executive Roundtable, devoted to supporting ambitious mid-career leaders. She's a regular blogger (sometimes multiple posts per week) and says that even if they’re not reading every post, people are still seeing her posts go by (for example, on her LinkedIn updates), and that's a good thing because it keeps her "top of mind." People tell her she always seems to be showing up on their screen. This reinforces the perception that her business is fresh, there's always something new going on and she is at the forefront of her industry.
And she's met prospective clients, who've sent feedback like "I totally believe what you’re saying [in this post]." Glain told me, "[Blogging] is a very powerful way for coaches to connect to an audience. It's important for clients to feel like they can relate to you, and if they're reading your blog, they’ll either like your tone of voice or they won’t."
Even the busiest people are online looking for information
Some coaches scoff at blogging, because they say their clients and prospects are too busy to read blogs. Dr. Marcia Reynolds is the author of Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction, and a pioneer in the coaching profession. She is also a busy blogger, contributing regularly to Huffington Post and Psychology Today, as well as her own blog.
Marcia told me that her audience of executives and leaders may be too busy to read LONG posts, but they are definitely online looking for information. They want "sound bites," she said. "People who don’t write in a quick-scan format won’t get read."
Marcia has found that blogging has helped expand her visibility, so that when she publishes a new book or launches a new program, she has a wider audience. And even when prospective clients have discovered her another way, she finds that they still check out her blogs as a way to get to know her better – before they call.
Blogging helps establish your credibility
Peter Bregman is the author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done (September 2011). As CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., he is a management consultant who coaches CEOs and leadership teams at some of the world's premier organizations. He also writes a weekly blog post for the Harvard Business Review and occasionally contributes to Fast Company and CNN opinion. He spends at least one day per week writing, and says, "I love it so it's easy to make time for it."
He also cautions that blogging is a mistake for people who are doing it simply to get clients. "If you don't enjoy the writing, and you're not dying to get new ideas out every week, then it will feel like a real burden to blog and it will be a huge challenge to sustain." (A note from Linda: Remember, you don't need to completely re-invent the wheel every week. You just need to present the information from your own unique and creative perspective.)
How has blogging influenced Peter's business? He said that blogging helps establish credibility, which has made it easier to get new clients.
As for me, one of the biggest benefits that weekly blogging has had for my business success is that my confidence as an expert has sky-rocketed. As I explained in a previous post, it's much easier to plant your flag of expertise on top of a mountain of content.
Is weekly blogging in your future? Contact us today to learn how we can help!
P.S. Update February 2, 2013 – For more insight into this topic, scroll to the end of this article for Mark Schaefer's crystal clear explanation of the six ways you can money with a blog.
